Vegas Golden Knights: Alex Tuch is one of the most underrated players

The Vegas Golden Knights may have taken a step back in the standings this year, which was expected after last season’s big surprise. But Alex Tuch is starting to emerge as a reason they might bounce back.

Humble brag, I’ve known about Vegas Golden Knights forward Alex Tuch since his draft year. Yes, it’s mostly because friends of mine asked me if I was related to him. I’m not.

Tuch was taken in the first round of the 2014 draft by the Minnesota Wild, coming out of the US National Development Program. After two years at Boston College, he turned pro in time for the 2016-17 season, where he made his NHL debut for the Wild, playing six scoreless games before getting sent back to the AHL Iowa Wild for the remainder of the season.

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During the following off-season, the Golden Knights joined the NHL and began working on their expansion draft plans. The Wild were one of the teams that expected to have trouble keeping players they liked, with so many players with no-move clauses and prospects requiring exposure.

Michael Russo of The Athletic wrote a great piece about what happened when the Golden Knights reached out to the Wild regarding the draft. To sum it up, in order for the Knights to take Erik Haula rather than a player like Mathew Dumba or Eric Staal, the Wild would send Tuch to Vegas. This turned out to be an absolute steal for the Knights.

Following a solid rookie season, he is now experiencing a true breakout year and is showing the league what the future of the power forward archetype looks like. After 27 games this season, Tuch has 12 goals, 13 assists, a +7 plus-minus, and just two penalty minutes. He’s shooting more, scoring more, playing better defensively, and is being rewarded more ice time for his efforts. Tuch is also just 22 years old.

Very few forwards can combine their size and speed quite like Tuch. He carries a 6’4″ frame at about 220 pounds, and can skate nearly as fast as anyone not named McDavid. He has also displayed great hands and a fantastic shot, adding another layer of value on top of his physical traits.

For video proof, we don’t need to look too far into the past for a couple of goals he’s scored to prove his talent. Let’s break down his goal against New Jersey a few nights ago:

Tuch picked up the puck through the neutral zone at full flight, moved to the backhand on a power move around defenseman Sami Vatanen, then took the puck behind the net and used his long reach and stick to tuck the puck (I can’t help the pun, I’ve lived with it my whole life) past a lunging Cory Schneider to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.

His speed, size and powerful strides were on full display here, as his feet were behind the back of the net while he put the puck home before Schneider was able to reach the near post.

Another goal worth looking at comes from last year’s second round series against the San Jose Sharks. Take a look:

This goal came on a Knights power play, where on an entry, William Karlsson dropped a puck to Tuch, who proceeded to drive straight through all four Sharks penalty killers, then bury a shot top corner on Martin Jones, who probably didn’t stand a chance on the shot.

Tuch was able to pick his spot where the Sharks were all standing rather flat footed, and hit the hole like a tank, and displayed his great hands on a gorgeous shot to bury the Sharks in that game.

You want something that displays his strength a little more? How about a fight? Great, here’s a fight:

Travis Hamonic isn’t a small guy, at 6’2″ and 205 lbs. Hamonic gets a couple of shots in on Tuch, but for most of this fight, Tuch is grabbing and tossing Hamonic around. The bout ends in a draw, but Tuch looked like he was controlling the action by just being bigger and stronger, and dictating the position without really losing his footing at all.

A few years ago, when you think of a power forward, players like Milan Lucic, David Clarkson, or Dustin Penner come to mind. These guys are big dudes who make their hay by parking in front of the net to score, and using their big frame to clear paths, win battles on the boards, and cause havoc just by being big. They aren’t particularly fast skaters, but their size and hands made up for it.

Tuch is breaking that mold into something that more fits the modern game of speed and skill. Gone are the days where a big guy can just park himself in front of the net, throw his weight around, and get away with that. Tuch is bringing a new meaning to power forward by combining that size and strength with speed and soft hands.

Another thing that’s amazing about Tuch is that he’s still quite underrated by the media and fans. When you think of who’s making Vegas tick this year, it’s William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Marc-Andre Fleury. Max Pacioretty was the big acquisition this past summer, and Nate Schmidt was the big news with his big suspension. But few talk about Tuch, who leads the team in points per game and offensive point shares. If he keeps it up, that should change real soon.

Looking back at the trade the Wild made to protect a couple of their other players, it seems like it was a big mistake to give up on Tuch. The Wild even knew they’d be giving up a stud when they made the trade, but they made the move anyway.

Now that Vegas locked Tuch up for seven years at a modest $4.75 million per year starting next season, it seems as if the Knights may have gotten the best of that deal too. Tuch’s value is probably going to be much higher than $4.75 million per year at the trajectory his career arch is taking. This contract is a steal for Vegas.

The future is bright for Tuch. He’s one of the top guns on an exciting Golden Knights roster, and with his combination of speed and strength, it’ll be tough for other teams to contain him. It’s now time to start giving him the credit he has earned so far.